Mercy San Juan NICU

Capital provided both mechanical engineering design and commissioning services on a new expansion of the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at Mercy San Juan Medical Center. This expansion provides a state-of-the-art facility equipped with the latest technology and care environments where babies born prematurely or with serious medical conditions can receive the very best care from a dedicated staff specializing in infant care.

The new NICU infilled the entire 3rd floor of the new McAuley Tower of the hospital, which had been “shelled” in reserve specifically for this planned expansion of a critical facility. The NICU provides accommodations for care of 40 infants in 16 private rooms

(including four dedicated Isolation Suites) as well as eight 3-bed pods, which allow at least one parent to remain with their baby 24 hours a day until they are healthy enough to go home.

In occupying an entire floor, the NICU incorporates a central nursing station, infant feeding preparation area, and dedicated offices and staff lounge support areas immediately adjacent to the care suites to provide 24/7 care while keeping parents informed every step of the way. The unit is equipped throughout with state-of-the-art specialized care equipment including invasive monitoring, inhaled nitric oxide and high- frequency oscillator ventilation, and other specialty medical gas services supporting infant-specific care.

Capital’s Commissioning group worked closely with the Owner, Design-Build team, Inspector of Record as well as the AHJ to complete the commissioning activities and confirm fully functional systems prior to beneficial occupancy of the department. Our commissioning team confirmed that custom training was provided to both end users of the systems at the NICU, as well as the facility operators.

No sampling strategy was used as part of the commissioning of critical systems. All Cx activities were merged into the project schedule to meet the project milestones. Commissioned systems included HVAC, Building Management System, Plumbing, Medical Gas System, Lighting Controls, Door Functionality, Fire Alarm, Infant Security, Nurse Call, and Security and Access Control.